As far as cruise staterooms go, interior cabins are pretty universally considered the lowest-tier option. Sometimes they're the only thing some guests can afford, or the only accommodations available on a booked-out sailing, but to not even have a porthole to view the ocean from in the comfort of your room? That's a pretty quintessential cruise vacation experience that interior cabin guests just don't get.
But some modern cruise ships are taking strides to make their interior cabins less sad, and Royal Caribbean's innovative "Virtual Balcony" cabins might just be the wave of the future. Check out this Virtual Balcony room on their brand-new ship, Utopia of the Seas, and "sea" for yourself!
Travel agent @marvelousmousetravels got to check out one of the unique "Virtual Balcony" interior cabins on Utopia of the Seas before the ship launches for its official maiden voyage on July 19 . Though the Virtual Balcony screens still fall short of the real deal, they're a huge step up from the boring TV screen "windows" of interior cabins past.
Royal Caribbean put in the effort to make their Virtual Balconies "as true to life as a real balcony view as possible." The room's 80-inch, high-definition "window" is designed to actually look like the floor-to-ceiling windows found in many of the ship's other staterooms. That screen projects a real-time view from the sides of the ship (to the point where a building might even block the view while docked in port, Royal Caribbean warns).
Though not all interior cabins come with Virtual Balcony windows, you can find them on a number of Royal Caribbean's bigger ships, including Wonder of the Seas and the aforementioned Utopia of the Seas. As far as interior cabins go, I think it's a huge step in the right direction!
But What Do Cruisers Think?
Of course, the real litmus test is seeing what other cruisers think of this stateroom design. Unsurprisingly, opinions were not unanimous, but a lot of people were happy, even relieved, to see this as an option.
"I'm going on a cruise in May. I have a Virtual Balcony. Thanks for this," @kelsalaine2011 said.
"Hopefully all cruise ships add this," commented @jennn_jdg.
On the other hand, there's just no replacing the real thing for some people.
"OK. But you're paying money to be on a cruise," argued @jeremy_barber_29. "I'd want to see the actual ocean."
"That would give me claustrophobia," said @midaro1992.
Hey, I get it. I'd always choose a balcony cabin over an interior stateroom, even if it meant spending more money. Interior cabins are always going to be controversial accommodations among cruisers, even with all the bells and whistles the more innovative ones have.
That said, for people who are desperate to go on a cruise vacation but have to do so on a tight budget, the Virtual Balcony is a much better compromise than many other interior cruise cabins I've seen. Besides, the screen can be turned on or off as desired, so guests aren't locked in if they don't enjoy the Virtual Balcony. What do you think of this unique room design?
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